The NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers are getting some much-needed rotation help. The Brewers will acquire veteran righty Frankie Montas from the division rival Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Joey Wiemer and righty Jakob Junis, reports MLB.com. Neither team has confirmed the deal.
Montas, 31, is working on a one-year, $16 million contract in his first year back from shoulder surgery. He has a 5.01 ERA in 19 starts and 93 1/3 innings, and he's really struggled of late: 6.41 ERA with a .866 opponent's OPS in his last eight starts. Montas has averaged under five innings in those eight starts.
Milwaukee has gotten hammered by starting pitcher injuries this season and badly needed an arm prior to Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET trade deadline. Their rotation depth chart now looks something like this:
- RHP Freddy Peralta
RHP Brandon Woodruff(out for 2024 with shoulder surgery)LHP Wade Miley(out for 2024 with Tommy John surgery)- RHP Aaron Civale
- RHP Colin Rea
- RHP Tobias Myers
- RHP Frankie Montas
LHP DL Hall(out with knee injury)LHP Robert Gasser(out for 2024 with Tommy John surgery)RHP Joe Ross(out with back injury)
The Brewers added Civale in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month. They also added righty reliever Nick Mears, who has standout pitch data (movement, spin rates, etc.), in a minor trade with the Colorado Rockies. Milwaukee now figures to target a lefty bat given Christian Yelich's back injury.
Wiemer, 25, is capital-B Blocked with the Brewers -- he is behind Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Blake Perkins on the outfield depth chart (plus Yelich) -- and he gives the Reds a power righty bat who can play center field. Wiemer slashed .204/.283/.362 with 13 homers as a rookie in 2023. He went to the University of Cincinnati.
As for the Reds, they are open to moving their rentals, including relievers Lucas Sims and Justin Wilson. Junis is working on a one-year contract and could be flipped before the deadline. They could also move second baseman Jonathan India as well. Cincinnati intends to contend next season and won't completely tear things down.
Milwaukee entered play Monday with a 60-45 record and a six-game lead in the NL Central. The Reds were 51-55 and 4.5 games out of a postseason spot.
